The present invention is directed toward an improved corner fitting and, more particularly, to such an improved corner fitting that allows the height of the same to be adjusted so as to be useful for a variety of purposes.
In order to utilize various modes of transportation, shipping containers typically use a system of standard corner fittings that allows them to be safely affixed to their support platform. For a shipping container to be carried by truck, rail or ship it must comply with I.S.O. Standards promulgated by the International Standards Organization. Typically the shipping containers are affixed by means of a quick lock mechanism which secures the shipping container to the support platform at the lower four corner fittings. These four points are located on the lower planar surface of the container at the respective ends of the container. The fitting is a cube embedded, usually affixed by welding, in each corner of the container with three sides exposed to the exterior of the container.
The average fitting is hollow and has a hole in each of the three sides to receive a fastener for attaching the container to a support platform, which may be part of a vehicle such as a truck chassis, a train flatbed or the deck or hold of a ship. The holes in the fitting are typically shaped like an oval with two flat sides thus having a long axis and a short axis.
A commonly used fastener for securing the container is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,310 to Abolins. Abolins shows a twist-lock type locking system that has a head shaped complementary to the hole in the fitting. The head is attached to the end of a narrow neck that is rotatably affixed to the support platform. The head is inserted into the fitting hole and then the neck is rotated. This twists the head so that its long dimension overlaps the short axis of the hole, thereby preventing it from being removed and securing it to the fitting.
By regulation, the bottom plane of each of the lower corner fittings extends downwardly approximately a half an inch below the lower surface of the bottom of the main portion of the shipping container. As a result, when one container is stacked on top of another, the lower corner fittings of the top container rest on and are supported by the upper corner fittings of the bottom container. This prevents the main body portions of the containers from contacting each other which could cause damage to them.
Shipping containers with conventional corner fittings as described above have been successfully used for many years on ships, rail cars, trucks and the like. Similar shipping containers have also been used on aircraft. Conventional corner fittings, however, have created a problem in such applications.
Most aircraft used for transporting shipping containers utilize a series of rollers that allow the container to be rolled into and out of the cargo hold of the plane. To function properly, this roller system requires that the bottom of the container be substantially flat or at least have no protrusions extending downwardly therefrom. Downward protrusions can interfere with or damage the roller system of the aircraft. As a result conventional shipping containers with corner fittings that extend downwardly even a half an inch can not be used. Rather, special shipping containers must be utilized or conventional shipping containers must first be lifted onto an aircraft pallet which has a substantially flat bottom surface.
This, of course, creates a problem when it is desired to use the same shipping container with a cargo plane and some other form of transportation. That is, a shipping container being brought to a plane by truck cannot be rolled directly onto the plane. Similarly, a container rolled off of a plane cannot be placed directly onto a truck as the corner fittings do not extend downwardly as required. In both cases, the goods or equipment within the container must be transferred into a different container to accommodate the different form of transportation. To Applicants"" knowledge, there is no shipping container currently available that can be properly and directly used with a cargo plane and with other forms of transportation.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of this invention to provide a corner fitting that is secured to a shipping container and which can easily and quickly be modified to allow the container to be transported by cargo plane or any other conventional form of transportation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a corner fitting which can easily and quickly be modified to allow the container to be transported by cargo plane or any other conventional form of transportation and which complies the I.S.O. standards set forth by the International Standards Organization.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a corner fitting that can easily be modified to either extend a half inch or so below the lower surface of the container or to be essentially flush with the lower surface.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments, demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided an improved adjustable height corner fitting for a shipping container. The fitting is comprised of a substantially hollow rectangularly shaped block having a bottom wall, end walls and side walls. An elongated aperture is located in the bottom wall and is adapted to cooperate with a locking mechanism in order to lock the shipping container to the platform of a vehicle. Also provided is a substantially rectangularly shaped plate that is complimentary to the bottom wall and is adapted to be temporarily attached thereto in order to increase the height of the block. The plate also has an elongated aperture therein which is complimentary to the aperture in the bottom wall. When the plate is attached, the apertures in the plate and in the bottom wall are in alignment, but the plate causes the corner fitting to extend downwardly approximately a half an inch below the container for shipment on a truck, ship or rail car. With the plate removed, the bottom of the corner fitting is essentially flush with the bottom of the container thereby allowing the container to be transported by cargo plane.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings